Everton v Manchester City Betting Tips
Over 2.5 Goals
Under 3.5 Cards
Everton to Commit 13+ Fouls
Everton to Have 4+ Shots on Target
Manuel Akanji to Attempt 90+ Passes
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 24/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
Everton v Manchester City
Premier League match at Goodison Park
Tuesday, December 27: 8.15pm
TV: Amazon Prime
Over 2.5 Goals
Manchester City return from Saudi Arabia as Club World Champions but will be concerned about the fitness of Rodri, who went off injured during the final. They have struggled massively whenever the Spanish midfielder has been absent this season and will hope he makes a swift return.
They also return to a very difficult fixture against a completely rejuvenated Everton side that has taken 12 points from a possible 18 since being dealt a 10-point deduction. Sean Dyche’s side were incredibly unlucky not to at least draw with Tottenham at the weekend having won each of their four league games prior to that slim defeat.
They have scored nine goals in their last five league games and are more than capable of causing problems for a City defence that has conceded an uncharacteristically high number of goals so far this season, especially if Rodri is absent.
At the other end, their wealth of attacking options is well-known and Pep Guardiola’s side clearly have the tools to hurt Everton. There should be goals at Goodison Park.
Under 3.5 cards
Both sides boast exemplary disciplinary records. Everton have the third-best in the league so far, picking up just 34 bookings and one sending off after 18 games, while City are currently in sixth, receiving 30 bookings and two sending offs in 17 games.
City control the ball for so long that they rarely put themselves in the position to receive yellow cards. If Guardiola also has Rodri at this disposal, he seems immune to yellow cards no matter how many cynical fouls he commits.
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Everton to commit 13 or more fouls
It may seem unusual to tip a game to finish with a small number of cards while simultaneously backing one of the teams to commit more than a dozen fouls, but that is how Everton’s season seems to be going at the moment.
Just as they are third in the league’s disciplinary table, Everton have also committed the third-most fouls per game, averaging a whopping 12.6 fouls per 90 minutes.
They are likely to better that average against a City side that likes to dominate the ball while also possessing several fleet-footed attackers who are capable of drawing a foul, and there is an excellent chance Everton commit 13 fouls or more.
Everton to have four or more shots on target
City have been more defensively vulnerable this season than at any other point during Guardiola’s reign.
The Treble winners have faced an average of 8.1 shots per game in the Premier League, which is higher than their average in any previous season under the Spanish manager.
They have faced 27 shots on target in their last six league games at a rate of almost five per game and could easily face a significant number of efforts on goal on Wednesday night.
Everton have registered 33 shots on target in their six league games since being handed that points deduction, which seems to have ignited a fire amongst Dyche’s troops.
They will not fear City, and may well take the game to Guardiola’s side with the backing of the Goodison faithful. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Ederson tested on several occasions.
Manuel Akanji to attempt 90 or more passes
Everton’s results may have improved significantly in recent weeks, but their average possession has remained almost exactly the same.
Dyche’s side have not recorded more than 40% possession in each of their last five games and have the third-lowest possession average in the league at just 39%.
In news that surprises absolutely no one, City boast the highest average in the league, averaging 62.3% per game. They will dominate the ball and there is a good chance several of their players attempt more than 90 passes.
One of those is Manuel Akanji, the Swiss centre-back who has completed an average of 74 passes per game in the league this season. Akanji completes 92% of the passes he attempts, meaning that the Swiss defender attempts an average of around 80 passes per game.
He is likely to considerably better that average against a team that can be almost allergic to the ball at times.
Everton v Manchester City Bet Builder Tips
Over 2.5 Goals
Under 3.5 Cards
Everton to Commit 13+ Fouls
Everton to Have 4+ Shots on Target
Manuel Akanji to Attempt 90+ Passes
- A Bet Builder with these selections pays at approximately 24/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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